Travel

Healthy eating tips for your holiday

Travel

Healthy eating tips for your holiday

Travelling encourages us to discover new things, throw caution to the wind and experience as much as we can. But when we apply that free-spirited attitude to the dinner table, we interpret it as our right to indulge. While we certainly deserve to enjoy our vacations, healthy eating should always be part of the adventure. It's true that there is no easy way to avoid temptation, but there are some rules you can follow that will help you stay on track while on holiday.

Eat regularlyNormal eating schedules may be thrown out the window when travelling, but try to make eating regularly a priority. Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger, which usually results in over-eating or snacking on high-fat fast food. To feed snack attacks, keep a stash of healthy nibbles on hand, such as almonds, sunflower seeds, trail mix, apples or protein-rich energy bars.

Rise and shineSet yourself up for the day with a proper breakfast. Choose fruit, whole grains or high-protein eggs rather than continental breakfasts with sugary pastries. A bowl of oatmeal is a fantastic breakfast food—it's loaded with fibre and is hearty enough to keep you feeling full through the morning.

Loving lunchSplurge on lunch and let it be your big meal for the day. Leanne Halligey, a registered dietician based in Victoria, B.C., says eating a full meal earlier in the day gives you lots of time to burn off calories. A lunch break also gives busy travellers the chance to recharge, regroup and plan afternoon and evening activities. Lunching offers an extra bonus: mid-day meals at restaurants are often less expensive than dinner entrées, making them a smart way to sample local fare.

Quick tips1. Unless it's a much-touted house specialty, skip the breadbasket. Ask the waiter not to bring it to your table to avoid the temptation of snacking before your meal arrives.2. Alcohol can send your calorie count soaring. Opt for lighter versions of your favourite drinks. A 350-mL bottle of beer has about 150 calories, whereas the lighter version has about 100. Lighten up a 100-calorie glass of white wine (about 150 mL) by turning it into a white wine spritzer—fill half your glass with wine and half with zero-calorie soda water.

3. Monitor portion sizes. Restaurant dishes tend to be large, so ask for a half-portion. Another option is to have half of your meal wrapped up before it's brought to the table to avoid the temptation of gobbling it all up. Most people usually end up eating everything on their plate.

4. Order entrées that are baked, broiled or grilled rather than fried. Choose omega-rich fish or chicken, as both are lower in saturated fat than beef or pork.

5. If you have access to a kitchen at your accommodation, stock up on food at a local farmer's market. Salads and stir-fries are easy ways to sample local produce and eat on the light side.

Being conscious about your food choices on vacation will give you more energy to enjoy your trip, and ensure you'll fit into your clothes when you get home.

Pattern Notes: Twisted rib stitch (worked over an even number of stitches): Row 1 and Row 2: *K1 tbl, p1 tbl* repeat to end of row. Repeat Rows 1 and 2.

Casting on: The Honey Stitch Cowl is cast on using the provisional cast on, which leaves the cast-on stitches "live." Because they're "live" and not closed off as with a regular cast on, we can later pick them up and seam them together with the stitches on the needle. There are several ways to work the provisional cast on. My favourite method involves using a crochet hook and a scrap piece of yarn to make a crochet chain. The cast on stitches are then knitted directly onto the crochet chain, which acts as a holder for the cast on stitches. Once you've finished your cowl you can unravel the crochet chain, which reveals the "live" cast on stitches. These are then picked up on a needle and seamed together with the other stitches on your needle using the three-needle bind off.

Three-needle Bind Off: This bind off joins two sets of "live" stitches together in a neat, secure seam. As the name suggests, it requires three needles: one needle holds the cast on stitches, the other holds the stitches at the end of the cowl, and the third needle is used to knit the stitches on both needles in order to bind them off into a seam.

• With the two needles clapped together and the right sides of the cowl facing each other, insert the third needle into the first stitch on the needle closest to you as if to knit. Insert the third needle into the first stitch on the needle in the back. There are now two stitches on the third needle. Bring the working yarn around the third needle as if to knit and bring the yarn through both stitches on both needles. * There is now one stitch on the third needle. â€¨â€¨Repeat the instructions between * and * until you have two stitches on the needle. Then, using your fingers or one of the needles holding the stitches, bring the first stitch on the third needle over the second stitch. One stitch has been bound off. â€¨â€¨Continue to knit one stitch through two stitches on your needles and bind off on the third needle until you have one stitch left on your third needle. Cut the yarn and weave through the last stitch. Notice that you have created a nice, sturdy seam that joins your cast on stitches with the last stitches on your cowl.

Row 2 (right side): Sl1 knitwise, *p1 tbl, k1 tbl* repeat until you reach 1 st before the first marker, p1 tbl, sm. *Slip 1 st to DPN and hold in back, k1, k the st from the DPN. Slip next st to DPN and hold in front, k1, k the st from DPN* repeat until you reach the second marker, sm. *P1 tbl, k1 tbl* repeat to end of row.

Row 3 (wrong side): repeat Row 1.

Row 4: (right side): Sl1, *p1 tbl, k1 tbl* repeat until you reach 1 st before the first marker, p1 tbl, sm. *Slip 1 st to DPN and hold in front, k1, k the st from DPN. Slip next st to DPN and hold in back, k1, k the st from DPN* repeat until you reach the second marker, sm. *P1 tbl, k1 tbl* repeat to end of row.

Note about yarns: Unfortunately, KPC Yarn is only available online. It's stocked in a retail store in Hong Kong. However, there are a number of other yarn options for Canadians; look for a chunky weight yarn. Berroco Vintage Chunky and Debbie Bliss Rialto Chunky are very similar to the KPC chunky in gauge. Alternatively, consult your local yarn store.

Davina Choy reluctantly picked up knitting at 14, under the instruction of a family friend. Learn how an afternoon of knitting turned into a lifelong passion for Choy.

Culture & Entertainment

Hygge: The Art of "Finding Magic in the Ordinary"

Culture & Entertainment

Hygge: The Art of "Finding Magic in the Ordinary"

Think about some of your warmest memories—drinking wine and reminiscing with girlfriends, chatting with your mom while she whips up a batch of your favourite muffins, having a dinner date that leads to cocktails that leads to stargazing by the water because neither of you want the night to end—that’s hygge. It’s finding happiness in the every day, and all you need to be able to attain it is to know about it.

Some say the Danish word is pronounced “hooga” but according to Marie Tourell Søderberg, author of Hygge: The Danish Art of Happiness, it’s like this: The “y” is similar to the French “y” sound—think “huge,” and the “gge” sounds like the first syllable in “girl.” But, it doesn’t really matter how you say "hygge"—you just need to get it. And to get it, you need to know where it comes from.

Hygge originates from a Norwegian word that means “well-being,” and in English, it means “coziness,” but it’s much more than that. Hygge is appreciating the little things in life. It’s “all the small things that make us feel safe, loved and satisfied,” says Søderberg. Hygge is doing things with warmth and joy, being present in the moment, and having a feeling of home—in other words, the Danish way of life.

Denmark is ranked as one of the happiest nations in the world, and hygge is likely an “ingredient in the Danish recipe for happiness,” says author Meik Wiking in his book, The Little Book of Hygge. Compared to other Europeans, Danes “meet most often with their friends and family and feel the calmest and most peaceful.” And that’s why there’s a growing interest in hygge.

Books on the subject are quickly filling up store shelves—a simple Indigo search will pull up more than five books on hygge, all of which have come out in the later half of 2016 (including Søderberg’s and Wiking’s) or will be coming out in the early months of 2017—just in time for winter, which is pretty much the reason why hygge exists.

In her book, Søderberg says, “It originated due to the need to create joy, warmth and togetherness in a country that boasts long, cold winters”—something Canadians can relate to. Hygge encourages you to embrace the cold months instead of waiting for the sun to shine again. But, anyone, anywhere, can enjoy the benefits of hygge any time of year, as it’s all about sharing moments with those you love, indulging in comfort foods, and taking in the sights and sounds around you.

Understanding hygge and having a name for it helps you recognize it and look for it in your day-to-day life. “Including it in our daily narratives and language makes us aware of the qualities of the word. Saying, ‘let’s hygge tonight,’ states a clear intention of what qualities we want our evening to have—presence, lovingness, relaxed, informal—all these qualities in one word,” says Søderberg.

Intimate candlelit dinner parties, mulled wine by a fire and ice skating under twinkling lights are classic hygge moments, but it can also be found when you're not expecting it. Hygge can happen in the least hyggelig (the adjective form of “hygge”) locations or in those in-between moments throughout your day—like when you're hiding from the rain under an awning with a friend, listening to a sax player as you wait for the next subway to arrive, or laughing with your sister over the phone.

Although hygge can happen anywhere, the most common place for it is at home, so it helps to make your living quarters feel warm, safe and welcoming—think candles, warm textiles and plenty of personal touches. In Søderberg’s book, she shares decorating advice from Nordic interior design expert Christina B. Kjeldsen: “The hygge comes when you feel that the person behind the surroundings is completely comfortable with his or her choices, but at the same time isn’t afraid of decorating intuitively and trying out new things and ideas…When you put thoughtfulness into how and why you have chosen to surround yourself with particular furniture, objects, art, flowers, knick-knacks, curtains—whatever—then you relax and your guests will see and know you for who you are.”

But, it’s important not to feel pressure to create a perfect space or occasion and force hygge. Decorate your space for you and not how you think it should be, and let moments unfold naturally—something that can be all too rare in this social media age. Søderberg warns, “The most hyggelig evening can look like a disaster in a picture, and opposite—the least hyggelig can look like a perfect evening.” But, if you have a true hyggling moment, it’ll be a “piece of art to capture the exact sense of an atmosphere in a photo.”

So, keep hygge on your mind. Make plans to hygge, be present in every moment, and soak up life's glories. And if you do, you’ll be gifted with the ability to, as Søderberg says, “[find] the magic in the ordinary.”

Fun (mostly tech-free!) holiday gifts for little ones

Winter Wonderland

Fun (mostly tech-free!) holiday gifts for little ones

For the Little Fashionista

Joe Fresh's new collection of sweet and stylish jewellery for kids features bright and hypoallergenic pieces inspired by travel, nature and friendship. New and exclusive to Shoppers Drug Mart. Starting at $6.

Fun (mostly tech-free!) holiday gifts for little ones

The Christmas "It Toy"

Fun (mostly tech-free!) holiday gifts for little ones

Sparkling Stocking Stuffers

Joe Fresh's new collection of sweet and stylish jewellery for kids features bright and hypoallergenic pieces inspired by travel, nature and friendship. New and exclusive to Shoppers Drug Mart. Starting at $8.​

Baby Doll

Fun (mostly tech-free!) holiday gifts for little ones

On the Fly

Fun (mostly tech-free!) holiday gifts for little ones

Merry and Bright Bracelets

Joe Fresh's new collection of sweet and stylish jewellery for kids features bright and hypoallergenic pieces inspired by travel, nature and friendship. New and exclusive to Shoppers Drug Mart. Starting at $6.